The Philadelphia Eagles are off to a hot start this season as they are 5-0 in back-to-back seasons which is a franchise first. Philly has yet to look dominant on both sides of the ball as they did last season but the Eagles are piecing it together one week at a time. This week they’ll draw the New York Jets who have already given the Eagles some bulletin board material.
Although the Jets are 0-12 against Philadelphia, Jets head coach Robert Saleh put out an odd threatening message to the Eagles franchise QB. When asked about the brotherly shove play, he mentioned what the Eagles can do out of the play and how you have to be prepared. He then said that the Jets defense would have to give Hurts “11 kisses” if he leaves the pocket.
The Eagles and Jets aren’t strangers and the last time that they met, the Jets took a cheap shot on Hurts when he ran out of bounds. I guess if you can’t beat them then Saleh’s message is to hurt them? Anyway, here’s our players to watch in the battle at MetLife on Sunday:
Jalen Hurts
All eyes are on Hurts after the near-complete game that the offense put together last Sunday. Is he back to his 2022 form? Hurts is averaging a completion percentage of 67% after five games and the offense has yet to play a complete game. He’s also had moments where he’s held on to the ball for too long or is impatient in seeing the routes break. Hurts has to find that balance while also keeping a mental note of his footwork in the pocket.
It will be interesting to see how Hurts responds to Saleh’s comments. Will he stay hidden in the pocket or will we see Jalen get freaky in the open field? One thing to note is that Hurts does pay attention to what people say about him. Fletcher Cox made it known that the Eagles heard what Saleh said and planned to put their money where their mouth is come Sunday afternoon.
DeVonta Smith
The Eagles have a running theme this season. When one of their playmakers is left out of the game plan then they make sure to heavily involve them in the next game. We’ve seen it with Swift, Brown, and Goedert. Now it’s DeVonta Smith’s turn.
After being left out of the matchup with the Rams, I would expect Smith to be heavily targeted by Hurts. Smith could be the X-factor in a game where Brown may be preoccupied with Sauce Gardner. He currently has 23 receptions on the season with 290 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Haason Reddick
Reddick is finally coming to his own this season. After getting the thumb cast removed, Haason now has three sacks this season. If the Eagles are going to be a disruptive force on defense then they need their best pass rusher to bring down the house against opposing QBs.
Reddick is getting a very good matchup here to truly break out. With the Jets’ offense relying on Zach Wilson behind a not-so-good offensive line, I would expect a big game from the Eagles’ weapon of mass destruction.
Nichols Morrow
Morrow has been hot and cold since being active for the Eagles. He’s had great games followed by questionable games but he has done what the Eagles asked him to do. With Nakobe Dean possibly being active for this game, I wonder what lies ahead for Morrow.
He has gone above and beyond for the defense and if he’s released I doubt that he won’t be scooped up by another team. This could be a game of survival for the young linebacker.
Brian Johnson
Now I know that this is all about the players to watch but there has to be an eye on Eagles offensive coordinator, Brian Johnson. It’s been a tough five weeks for the Eagles newest coordinator and he has now found himself below Sean Desai in the coaching staff rankings, if there was one.
Desai impressively adjusted to a Rams offense that was walking all over the defense in the first half. He even held Cooper Kupp to only two receptions for under 30 yards in the second half. Wellness Brian, it is now your turn. You just heard the Jets head coach threaten your mobile QB and it’s time to pull the tricks out of the bag and make him look foolish.
The Eagles offense is currently ranked 5th in PPG and they have been tallying over 400 yards per game over the last four weeks but they’ve been terrible in the red zone. They have the sixth-worst red zone conversion rate in the NFL. I believe that Brian Johnson may be overthinking this offense just a bit. It’s time to let the game come to you and trust that your unit will execute.
AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian
